You have heard of the virtual classroom and exams being conducted online, and now you can answer an exam with your cellphone. Technology in the classroom is being adopted by several schools and colleges. Some give their teachers a free hand in the innovative use to keep their students engaged in the chosen subject. And some educational institution managements take the step forward themselves and pave the way for technological innovation in the classroom. The Seshadripuram First Grade College in Yelahanka, Bangalore, has adopted cell phones in a big way.
Starting this academic year on an innovative note, mobile handsets were distributed among students and teachers, with instructions for use. Games and messaging options were disabled and a totally new concept was put into practice from Day 1. These handsets are to be handed in after tasks are completed. And each student is solely responsible for her/his work and attendance.
The handsets are enabled with "Interactive Platform On Mobile (IPOMO)", and hooked to a server. Multiple choice questions are given via the mobiles and students can pick one out of four options. At the end of the test /exam, the student has the option to revise and then hit SUBMIT. Once the answers are recorded on the college server, marks will be consolidated. A three hour test will have 120 questions with 4 options each. Students have the choice of using the mobile calculator to answer the Math questions.
In addition to this the students are allowed to mark their attendance via the cell phone.Attendance is usually taken within the first 15 minutes of the start of any class. Each teacher is given a password. Once he/she enters the password,the category -courses-section-subject appears with the list of students enrolled for the class.the teacher quickly takes attendance and all data is automatically stored in the server. A student that consecutively absents himself / herself for three days or more is highlighted on the server rolls, and an SMS alert is sent to the parents.
The students and teachers of this college have welcomed this move for use of cell phones in the classroom. Teachers find it useful and less time-consuming than the age-old methods of marking answer papers as well as marking attendance. They have more time to teach, and the students love text messaging, so this is an extension of that and they are comfortable with it. One plus point is that there is no scope for malpractice, since questions are jumbled up and not all students get the same Q1.For example, Q1 of Student A will be Q28 of Student B and so on, making it laborious for students to find similar Q s for copying.
EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY In LEARNING And TEACHING
Showing posts with label cell phone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cell phone. Show all posts
15 October 2007
SHOULD MOBILES BE ALLOWED IN THE CLASSROOM?
Ask any body in any educational institution today, whether mobile phones should be allowed on campus? Except for the Principal, and the management, what you get is a resounding "YES".
Why is this so?
Let us study the pro's and con's of carrying a mobile to class!
College students see it more as a status symbol, since they always want to be seen with the latest mobile phone.Sending SMS's is a favourite past-time, particularly in class or after midnight when SMS's are free. The favourite Bollywood movie, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, showed the hero, a medical student, copying during an exam using the hands-free. A couple of students got debarred from the exam trying to do the same.
School students have been caught listening to music, FM radio, and sending SMS's while the class was in progress. Though their cell phone will be switched to silent mode, the distraction persists. Their attention is always diverted waiting for a call. When teachers insist that cell phones should not ring in the classroom, they should also refrain from taking any call while teaching.
Most students argue that their parents have provided them with a mobile just to keep a check on their whereabouts.Obviously, the child is not being taught to be truthful, even with the cell he is going to be telling lies about his whereabouts. Some parents argue that we are living in a modern age and they would like to give the best of everything for their child. It becomes imperative, they say, that they have to coordinate between driver, tuitions, extra curricular activities and the like. That means parents must make the effort to create a timetable for the activities of the child and stick by it. When unforeseen circumstances arise, schools and colleges have landlines which the parent or the student can use. It will reinforce time management and organisational skills for all concerned.
Last week, cell phones have been completely banned from classrooms of kindergarten thro' 12. Even the staff is not allowed to carry them on campus. Surprise checks will be conducted regularly and defaulters will be punished, which may include a fine and confiscation of the cell phone.
This puts an end to all the debates going on in corridors of educational institutions.
Why is this so?
Let us study the pro's and con's of carrying a mobile to class!
College students see it more as a status symbol, since they always want to be seen with the latest mobile phone.Sending SMS's is a favourite past-time, particularly in class or after midnight when SMS's are free. The favourite Bollywood movie, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, showed the hero, a medical student, copying during an exam using the hands-free. A couple of students got debarred from the exam trying to do the same.
School students have been caught listening to music, FM radio, and sending SMS's while the class was in progress. Though their cell phone will be switched to silent mode, the distraction persists. Their attention is always diverted waiting for a call. When teachers insist that cell phones should not ring in the classroom, they should also refrain from taking any call while teaching.
Most students argue that their parents have provided them with a mobile just to keep a check on their whereabouts.Obviously, the child is not being taught to be truthful, even with the cell he is going to be telling lies about his whereabouts. Some parents argue that we are living in a modern age and they would like to give the best of everything for their child. It becomes imperative, they say, that they have to coordinate between driver, tuitions, extra curricular activities and the like. That means parents must make the effort to create a timetable for the activities of the child and stick by it. When unforeseen circumstances arise, schools and colleges have landlines which the parent or the student can use. It will reinforce time management and organisational skills for all concerned.
Last week, cell phones have been completely banned from classrooms of kindergarten thro' 12. Even the staff is not allowed to carry them on campus. Surprise checks will be conducted regularly and defaulters will be punished, which may include a fine and confiscation of the cell phone.
This puts an end to all the debates going on in corridors of educational institutions.
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